Nickelodeon Arabia will air original programming targeted at Arab tykes, with shows such as “Shoof Kids,” as well as utilize existing Nickelodeon programming such as “Dora the Explorer” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

“Nickelodeon is the first global kids’ media brand to create a free-to-air Arabic service across the region,” said MTVNI’s managing director and exec VP of emerging markets Bhavneet Singh. “We see great growth potential for our brands in the Middle East, and we look forward to further expanding our business to provide our audiences with a localized, multiplatform, multigenre portfolio of relevant content that appeals to every demographic and every age group.”